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I blamed the prince for this as well.
When I got outside, I smirked at the enforcers standing on the other side of the road and hailed a taxi. I wasn't sure exactly why they were there, but I could guess.
Prince Alessandro wanted to make sure I didn't escape.
Boy was he in for a surprise. I didn't care if he knew where I lived or not or if his little lackey boys followed me around. It didn't waste any of my time.
I climbed into the first taxi that stopped and gave the driver the address to my loft apartment. Unfortunately, the guys waiting across the street jumped in their SUV and started following as soon as we got on the road.
My loft was on the other side of town, so I had a bit of a ride before I got home. I settled back against the seat and tried to forget that I was being followed by armed guards at the behest of a man that claimed to be my true mate.
Okay, I accepted the fact that he was my true mate, but that didn't mean I actually had to accept him. Being mates just brought us together. It was up to us to forge the bonds between us, and so far, that wasn't looking good.
Logically, I knew that part of his issue was that he was the prince ofgryphonsin Italy. That came with a certain amount of ego. That was kind of a given. He no doubt had more money than god and was used to people bending over backwards to appease him.
I'd rather eat my boots.
I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough, the black SUV was still behind us. They were a couple of cars back and in the lane next to mine, as if they thought they were fooling me.
Idiots.
I pulled out my cell phone and started going through my emails and texts. I might as well get caught up on a few things while I waited to arrive at my loft.
I laughed and got a little excited when I saw an email from my agent about a showing at one of the local art galleries. She had written that I wasn't in yet, but she had a good feeling about it. The owner of the gallery seemed to like my work. If everything went well, he might agree to hang a few of my pieces in the show.
I wasn't world famous or anything, but my artwork had been receiving notice in the art world over the last couple of years. I wasn't to the level of Van Gogh certainly, and I doubted I ever would be, but I loved painting and made enough off my art to make a living without having to rely on my parents, and that was good enough for me.
I really didn't need more than that.
I'd spent my growing up years touring the world with my parents. I'd seen things other people only dream of and vacationed in some of the most exotic places in the world, all in luxury.
It was one of those "been there, done that" type of situations. Not much impressed me anymore, not after having done it all already.
That was why living in my little loft and making a living on my artwork was so important to me. I knew my family would be there if I needed them, but I wanted to make it on my own, pay my own way.
So far, I'd been successful, although those first few years had been interesting. I'd eaten a lot of simple foods during those years and even missed a few meals.
I despised ramen.
I doubted Prince Vitali had ever eaten a bowl of ramen in his life. He probably didn't even know what it was.
I sighed as I put my phone away and turned to look out the window. I loathed the idea of going back to the life my parents lived. Granted, I adored them, but all that society bullshit made me want to heave.
If I accepted the prince as my mate, it would become my life, and I wasn't sure I could handle that.
I wasn't sure I could give up my true mate, either.
I was so confused.
"Why are we stopping?" I asked when the taxi pulled to a stop behind another car. "Is there a traffic jam or something?"
It was the height of the tourist season, so anything was possible.
"There seems to be some sort of commotion in the intersection, sir," the driver replied. "Probably a fender bender."
Damn.
I pulled a few dollars out of my pocket and handed them to the driver over the seat. I was close enough to my loft to walk home. Anything was better than sitting in traffic.
